Self-governing rotary engine.



N0- 837,699.- PATENTED DECO 1906.

HJB. MARSH.

SELF GOVERNING ROTARY ENGINE.

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PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906;

H. B. MARSH. SELF GOVERNING ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED OOTA, 1906.

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PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

H. MARSH SELF GOVERNING ROTARY ENGINE.

APBLIOATION FILED OOT.4, 1906.

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No. 837,699. PATENTED DEC. 4, 1906.

H. E. MARSH.

SELF GOVBRNINGROTARYENGINE. I

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N0- 837,699. PATENTED DEC. 4, 1-906.

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' SELF GOVERNING ROTARY ENGINE- AIPLIOATION FILED 0014, 1906.

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UNITED srai ns PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD E. MARSH, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO WILLIAM P. WVAGY AND ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE W. LADLEY, BOTH OF INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA.

SELF-GOVERNING ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1906.

Application filed October 4,1906. Serial No. 337,373-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD E. MARSH, of Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful Self-Governing Rotary Engine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhicli like numerals refer to like parts.

The object of this invention is to make a rotary engine operable by steam and the like that is self-governing. To that end oppositely-located valve mechanisms are provided for the admission and the exhaust of steam, which are controlled by centrifugally' acting arms. These arms are preferably integral with the revolving abutments and engage and actuate stationary or non-rotary abutments mounted in the inner ends of the valves.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical and transverse section of the device, the parts in position during low speed. Fig. 2 is the same with the parts in position during high speed. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section longitudinally of the driven shaft on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is the same as Figs. 1 and 2 with the parts in position when steam is just beginning to enter through one of the valves, parts being broken away. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 1.

In detail a casing is formed of a main part 10 and a side portion 11, secured by bolts rigidly in place upon the base 12. The portion 10 consists of one side and the periphery of the casing. The portion 11 is removably secured like a lid to the portion 10, so that the casing will have an air-tight cylindrical chamber. Each portion 10 and 11 is provided with a bearing 13, in which a driven shaft 14 is mounted, with suitable packing 15 to render the same air-tight. A cap 16 is secured upon the outer end of the bearing 13 on the portion 11 of the casing, and. a pulley 17 is secured upon the other end of the shaft 14.

The rim of the casing is provided on two opposite sides with an enlargement 20, having an external flat surface to which a remo vable extension 21 is secured to form a valvecasing for the valve 22. The parts and 21, constituting the valve-casing, have a central bore for the reciprocation of the valve. The outer portion of said bore is of slightly larger diameter than the main portion thereof, so as to provide a shoulder 23, that operates as a stop to engage the shoulder 24 on the outer end of the valve for the purpose of limiting the inward movement of the valve. A cap 25 is secured by screws to the outer end of the extension 21. for closing the valve-chamber 26, and said cap has a steam-inlet port 27 located centrally in it. The valve is provided with a steam passage-way formed of the enlarged portion 28, centrally located in the outer end, and the narrow crooked portion 29, that extends from the portion 28 to the outer surface of the valve on one side behind the packing-ring 30 and in position to register with a groove 31 in the wall of the valve-chamber 26, that enables the steam passage-way 29 to communicate with the interior of the casing when the valve is in its inner position, as shown at the left hand of Fig. 1, but which cannot register with said passage-way 29 when the valve is in its outer position, as shown at the right hand. of Fig. 1. Each valve likewise is provided with an exhaust passage-way 32, that at the correct time communicates with the exhaust-port 33 in the valve-casing and leads to a point behind the packing-ring 30. From this it is seen that in one position the steam-inlet passage-way is complete and the exhaust out ofi,

and in another position the exhaust is open and the steam-inlet is cut off, and in another position both passage-ways are closed.

Each valve 22 is of substantially the same length as the valve-chamber 26, so that the inner end of the valve will not protrude into the chamber within the casing when the valve is in its outer position, but the steam will force the valve inward, so that the inner end thereof may protrude and carry the abutment-plate 34, which is a non-revolving abutment. The plate 34 extends the full width of the chamber in the casing, so as to engage the sides thereof tightly and also protrude tened to an adjustable ring-plate 45,

beyond the inner end of the valve, so as to be engaged successively by the curved valvecontrolling arms 35.

On the shaft 13, as seen in Fig. 3, a spider 40 issecured by the screws 41. Said spider has at three equally-distant points on its periphery a radially-extending bearing-lug 41, in which an arm 35 is near oneend pivotally mounted by a pin 36. Each arm 35 is so pivoted with reference to the rim of the casing that the rear end of said arm will bear against said rim, and packing 42 is provided at such point to make a tight oint. The rear end 43 of each arm 35 is formed flat, so as to constitute the revolving abutment that in the operation of the device opposes the non-revolving abutment 34 for confining the steam that enters the chamber of the casing through the steam-valves heretofore described. The revolving abutment 43 is not necessarily made integral with the arm 35, but such is the sim pler and preferable form, as herein shown.

The inner end of each arm 35 is held in an inward position by a spring 44, that is fasprovided with slots 46, through which bolts 47 secure said ring-plate to the flange 48 of the hub of the spider 40, as appears in Fig. 3. This construction enables the tension of the springs 44 to be increased by adjusting the ring-plate 45 in the direction of the arrow shown in'Fig. 1. The inner ends of the arms 35 therefore are free, excepting for the action of the springs 44, to be acted upon by centrifugal force during the revolutions thereof, and the centrifugal force tends to throw the inner ends of said arms outward as the speed of the device increases.

The width of the arms 35 is the same as the width of the chamber in which they are mounted for the purpose of forming between said arms and the rim of the casing three steam-confining chambers. That one of said chambers may hold the steam introduced into it it is necessary that there be a relatively steam-tight joint between the rear end of one chamber or abutment 43 and the inner end 48 of the following arm 35, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. To accomplish this, the end 48 of each arm is curved concentric with the fulcrum 36 of the arm and also comes up against and engages the inner edge of the abutment 43 or rear end of the preceding arm 35. Therefore as the inner end is moved outward or inward its surface 48 will always be in comparatively tight engagement with the rear end of the preceding arm, so that steam will not escape between said arms.

The operation is as follows: Steam enters the valve 22 when in the proper position, as shown at the left-hand side of Fig. 1, into a steam-chamber within the casing formed by a portion of the two sides of the casing and a portion of the rim and the outer surface of one arm 35 and the rear surface or abutment 43 of the preceding arm 35. The steam thus entering pushes the revolving abutment 43 away from the relatively stationary and nonrevoluble abutment 34, and thus rotates and drives the spider 40 and shaft 14. The entering steam keeps the valve 22 inward and the abutment 34 always against the arm 35. Since the arms 35 are arranged eccentrically, as shown, with the advancing end nearer the center and the rear ends adjacent the rim of the casing as said arms revolve, the outer surface of an arm will gradually force the valve 22 outward, and at a point about midway of the arm 35 it will have pushed the valve so far as to close the steaminlet passage-way and shut off the incoming steam. The steam already in the steam compartment or chamber just described will continueto expand and revolve the arms until the further movement of an arm 35 will force the valve 22 so far outward as to open the exhaust-port, as shown at the right-hand side of Fig.1, and then the steam will eX- haust. This occurs when about threefourths of the length of the arm 35 has passed the valve. The further movement will cause said arm to push said valve outward still farther until the exhaust is closed and the irmer end of the valve is entirely out of the chamber in the casing, so as to permit the rear end of the arm 35 or the revolving abutment 43 to pass the valve. As soon as it has passed the valve, the steam-pressure on the valve will again force it inward quickly until the non-revolving abutment 34 strikes against the outer surface of the succeeding arm 35 and the steam-port will be opened and steam will again rush into the neXt steam compartment or chamber. This process is continued.' Bylocating the steam-valves and inlet-ports at two opposite points and having three equidistantly mounted or pivoted arms 35 said valves and the steam passing through the same will operate alternately and the steam through one valve will operate while the steam is shut off in the other valve and until the steam is turned on by the other valve, as shown in Fig. 4. As the speed in creases the inner ends of the valve-regulating arms 35 will be moved slowly and gradually outward under the action of centrifugal force, as appears by comparing Fig. 1 with Fig. 2. As this process continues the dimensions of each steam chamber or compartment in the valve-casing will be correspondingly diminished and the valves moved backward to a shut-off position correspondingly earlier in the revolution of said arms, and if the speed continues to increase enough eventually, as shown in Fig. 2, said arms will be thrown outward into such a position that they will not permit either valve to move in ward far enough to admit any steam at all. The steam being then entirely shut off, the

s eed of the device will slack, and as it slacks t 1e arms 85 will move gradually inward until they permit the steam-valves to be pressed inward by the steam-pressure far enough to open the steam-ports. Thus it is seen that the device is automatically regulated, and to make this regulation more accurate and sen sitive the tension of the s rings is adjusted by the movement of the p ate 45, as heretofore explained. It the arms 35 are moved outward too readily and shut ed the steam too soon to gain the desired speed, said plate 45 should be adjusted to increase the tension of the springs 4%.

that I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A rotary engine including a casing with a cylindrical chamber, a sliding steam-valve mounted in said casing with its end adapted to protrude into said chamber, and a centrifugally-acting means mounted inthe chamber of said casing that gradually moves said valve outward under the influence of high speed.

2. A rotary engine including a casing with a cylindrical chamber, a sliding steam-valve mounted in said casing with its end adapted to protrude into said chamber and provided with a steam-port that is adapted to be closed when the valve is in an outer position and open when the valve is in an inner position, and a cen tri'fugally-acting means mounted in the chamber of said casing that gradually moves said valve outward under the influence of high speed.

3. Arotary engine including a casing with a cylindrical chamber, a sliding steam-valve mounted in said casing with its inner end adapted to protrude into said chamber, the seat for said valve having a stop to limit its inward movement and said valve being provided with a steam passage-way leading from its outer end to a point at the side of the valve, and the seat for the valve having a groove to register with the inner end of said steam passage-way when the valve is in an inner position, whereby the steam will tend to force the valve inward to open the port and the port will be closed when the valve is moved to an outward position, and a centrifugally-acting means mounted in the chamber of said casing that gradually moves said valve outward under the influence of high speed.

4. A rotary engine including a casing with a cylindrical chamber, a pair of oppositelylocated sliding steam-valves mounted in the rim of said casing with their ends adapted to protrude into said chamber, said valves being similarly formed and operated and arranged so that steam will be admitted when the valve is in an inward position and will be shut oil when the valve is in an outward position, and a plurality of centriiugally-actmg means mount ed revolubly within the chamber of said casing adapted to gradually move said valves outward under the influence ofhigh speed, said means being arranged relatively to each other so that one of said valves will be maintained in a relatively outward position while the other is in an inward position, substantially as set forth.

5. A rotary engine including a casing with a cylindrical chamber therein, a driven shaft centrally mounted in the casing, a spider secure'd thereon, an abutment mounted on said spider, an arm wide enough to close the chamber in said casing fulcrumed near its end to the spider with the fulcrumed end of the arm near the rim of the casing, a spring for holding the free end of said arm inward, a steam-valve mounted in the rim of the casin with its inner end adapted to protrude into said chamber, and an abutment mounted on the inner end of said valve that rides upon said arm and is as wide as the chamber in said casing, whereby a steam compartment or chamber will be provided between the abutment on the steam-valve and the revolving abutment and said arm and the rim and sides of the casing, substantially as set forth.

6. A rotary engine including a casing with a cylindrical chamber therein, a driven shaft centrally mounted in said casing, a spider on said shaft, arms Wide enough to close the chamber fulcrumed at their ends on said spider so that the fulcrumed end of each arm will engage the free preceding end of the arm to form a steam compartment or chamber between each arm and the rim, a slidable steam-valve mounted in the rim of the casing with its inner end-adapted to protrude into said chamber, and an abutment secured to the inner end of the valve and formed as wide as the chamber and adapted to engage the passing arms and cooperate with the rear end of the preceding arm which serves as a revolving abutment.

7 A rotary engine including a casing with a cylindrical chamber therein, a driven shaft centrally mounted in said casing, a spider on said shaft adjacent one wall of said chamber, an odd number of arms as wide as said chamber fulcrumed at their ends on said spider so that the fulcrumed end of each arm will engage the rim of the casing and the free end will engage the preceding arm to form a steam compartment or chamber between each arm and the rim, springs that tend to draw the free ends of said arms inward, means for mounting said springs so as to adjust the tension thereof, a pair of slidable steam-valves oppositely mounted in the rim of the casing with their inner ends adapted to protrude into said chamber, and an abutment secured to the inner end of each valve and formed as wide as said chamber and adapted to engage the passing arms, said arms being arranged so that they will move said valves to the outward position altermounted in the chamber of said casing that nately. gradually moves said valve outward under 8. A rotary engine including a casing with the influence of high s eed. a cylindrical chamber, a sliding steam-valve In Witness whereof have hereunto aflixed 5 mounted in said casing with its end adapted my signature in the presence of the witnesses 15 to protrude into said chamber and provided herein named.

with an exhaust-port that is adapted to be HOWARD E. MARSH. open when the valve is in an outer position Witnesses: and closed when the valve is in an inner N.ALLEMONG,

to position, and a centrifugally-acting means H. B. MoCoRD. 

